Spartan: Total Warrior

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A fun, bloody trip through the ancient world. Our full review.

By Juan Castro

Spartan: Total Warrior speaks to the inner badass lurking in all of us; that hardcore, relentless killing machine pining to rip through wave after wave of Nazis, alien invaders or whatever the case may be. Total Warrior makes a valiant effort to give us the tools and abilities to live that fantasy, if only for a while and if only while sitting in our living. It recognizes we, as gamers, just need to kill things sometimes. And if we can kill things and look cool while doing it, that's even better. On top of that, if we can butcher people while looking cool and even feel noble about it, well, that's just divine.

And for a while it seems like Total Warrior, developed by Creative Assembly (Rome: Total War) seems to get it just right. We play the role of the Spartan, a brooding hero so lethal, so awesome, that he charges into battle shirtless while his comrades wear full suits of armor. We can impale, behead, crush, dismember and burn our enemies. We're given the opportunity to soak half the ancient world in the blood of our enemies. Where a normal soldier of the Spartan army can tackle one or two foes at once, we slay a dozen armed opponents in a single blow. A singular thrust or swing of our sword results in the simultaneous decapitation of half a dozen enemy troops.

If the above sounds awesome, it's because it truly is. When Total Warrior gets things right, it offers a genuinely satisfying, blood-soaked action extravaganza. And for a good chunk of the game, it does get it all right. Control feels precise and AI-controlled allied troops do a fine job of lending a helping hand in battle. Plus, the assortment of moves at our disposal, including blocks, attacks and evasive maneuvers makes killing people fun and more involved than an average hack 'n' slash. Blocking and timing attacks are such integral parts of the game that anyone thinking they can muscle their way through without strategizing will quit in frustration. Enemy AI, too, appears balanced -- brutal and relentless -- yet balanced and totally fair. Stages boast varied objectives and interesting narrative twists. One of the cooler aspects of the game is the chance to customize the Spartan in three distinct areas, including strength, health and magic power by using tokens earned through each chapter of the game.

But we'll get into that a little later. For now, here's a recap for those new to the game: Total Warrior splits between three main acts (Warrior, Hero and Legend) each of which contain four chapters. The story mixes pieces of history, ancient lore and science-fiction to weave an altogether unique take on epic warfare. Spoken narrative precedes each chapter, with a series of cutscenes furthering the story mid-mission. The story centers on the Roman Empire as it works to conquer one of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world, Sparta. The Empire launches a series of basic assaults against Sparta toward the beginning of the game, but later switches tactics to include armies of the undead, high-tech weaponry (such as flamethrowers) and even full-fledged monsters. Helping us in our fight against the Romans is a core group of allies who fight alongside us and also chime in to fill in story details.